Dear Fort Island Families,
Right to Read Week starts March 18th and it is being coordinated by our PTA. Our theme is “Reading is Magic!” and we have many unique activities scheduled for the children. One of these events is the family themed Book Bingo Night that will take place on March 15th. Look for details coming home soon. Thanks to all of you for supporting our used book drive. We collected many boxes of books that we were able to donate and use. Our fourth grade classes have made some wonderful persuasive videos about books and reading, using our new iPads, and they will be premiered on bingo night. I know you will be impressed with their work.
This will be the third year that 4th grade students will learn about the dangers of cyber bullying during
computer classes. The proliferation of technology and mobile communication devices makes this type of
instruction important so that children can understand the potential pitfalls of these amazing devices. Third grade classes will learn about cyber-safety in their lessons. Parents are the key to making the instruction effective by reinforcing cyber safety at home. We have an excellent resource, Netcetera, available to help you on the Resources-Common Forms and Files tab of the district webpage. Look under the “Parents” heading.
Kindergarten registration for next year will take place at Copley High School on May 21st. This is a change from the date that is in the calendar and I would appreciate if you could spread the word. Copley-Fairlawn offers half day classes for our students and application and information packets are available in the office. They can be picked up during regular school hours. I look forward to meeting our new families and our experienced parents returning for a second or third child. It is always an exciting time!
Spring Break starts on March 29 and that means that sunshine is on the way! I hope everyone is able to enjoy this time with your families… and find those summer clothes as we prepare for warmer weather.
Sincerely,
Mr. Whitaker
Dear Fort Island Family,
Greetings! The colder temperatures are upon us as write this letter, but there is good news. It is February and that means Valentine’s Day is coming up with all the warm and fuzzies that go with it. Our classroom parties will take place on February 15th at 2:30 and we have a special presentation for the students immediately before that in the gym. The Fort Island Jump Rope Team will perform for us! This is another fun addition to Healthy Heart Month that includes the Jump Rope for the Heart collection for the American Heart Association.
February 15th is also Fort Island Night at the Copley High School basketball game. Our very own Fort Island Choir will perform the National Anthem to start the game, under the direction of Mrs. Walton. This is a first for us! Following this performance, the Jump Rope Team will take the floor at half time of the varsity game and show off their crazy jumping skills. I look forward to seeing you there!
Our PTA came through for us again last month with an outstanding “No More Bullies” assembly. They sponsored Elec Simon, a cast member of “Stomp”, and his band to perform and teach the students about respect and acceptance. It was very interactive and teachers and staff were included in the performance. We appreciate PTA giving us the opportunity to see such a quality program. Next up: The C.O.S.I. assembly is on February 22nd.
Don’t forget our final Conference Night for this year is coming up on February 14th and, as always, don’t forget to read to your children every night!
Happy Valentine’s Day,
Mr. Whitaker
Welcome back to 2013 and I hope all of you had a peaceful winter break and beautiful holidays. I bet many of you made New Year’s resolutions to make this year better than 2013 and I hope we are all able to reach that goal! One of my goals is to continue to provide our school community with information in a timely fashion though the Copley Connect program available on our district web page. You can sign up through the “CFCS Connect” link on the right side of the webpage. One of the benefits of this program is that it will allow you to receive the new “Fort Island Updates” from me about building events and activities on an almost weekly basis. Sometimes you may get more than one in a week! You will also be able to read this PTA newsletter online and save a few trees by going green. Another benefit is my newsletter article might be shorterJ
I would like congratulate the Fort Island PTA Educator of the Year, third grade teacher Miss Rebecca Leopold, and our Helping Hands Award Winner for 2012-13 Mrs. Javan Rench. Both of these ladies contribute to our total school program and we are very lucky to have them on our team. Their dedication to excellence and willingness to do whatever it takes to help students and our school is greatly appreciated!
Safety is always a priority at Fort Island and I appreciate how everyone has stepped it up and remembered to sign in for every visit in the building. Another area where we can make it safer for our students is in the parking lot and driveways of our campus. Please drive slowly and stay off the cell phones when you come in to visit or drop off your child. Also, please remember that the children should be exiting and entering your vehicle on the passenger side. This will assure that they are not walking in front of, or behind, any cars that may pop out of gear or roll. It is also a good idea to wait until the children have moved safely away from the vehicle before driving away. This is to prevent a backpack or scarf from being caught in a door.
Thank you all for your support and enjoy an amazing 2013!
Mr. Whitaker
This is Ohio and the weather is crazy! Can you believe we have already had a Calamity Day because of a hurricane? I want to be sure that everyone is informed as we head into winter so please be sure to let us know if you did not receive the automated call announcing that school would not be in session. Eventually, winter will arrive and it is best to be prepared. I am ready for some snow so let’s get out the boots, gloves and snow pants and have some fun!
When the flurries start to fall, it is always a good idea to review your cold weather plan with your children. Decide what you want them to do in the event you are not home when they get off the bus and the weather is bad. Who should they call? Where should they go? Do they know where the spare key is located? Discussing the answers to questions like these ahead of time will make everyone feel more at ease if you are stuck in traffic.
If your family makes New Year’s resolutions, this would be a great time to incorporate some of the Seven Habits of Happy Kids that your children have been learning about this year. Ask your child to tell you about them and together you could select one or two to really focus on. I think a great one to consider is Habit 3- Put First Things First. This means that I do the things I HAVE to do before I do the things I WANT to do. I am sure as a parent, you can think of many situations that this can apply to at home and at school!
As I write this, it is the week of Thanksgiving and I realize again how blessed I am to be a part of this wonderful community. Our families are supportive and involved and each year before winter break I have been truly humbled by many thoughtful and generous gifts that I have received from so many of your children. This year I would like to respectfully request that instead of thinking of a gift for me, would you consider having your child select a book or two to donate to their classroom or our Library? Maybe they could find a new game that others will enjoy and get it for the game cart. They might even help shop for food, clothes, or toys that will brighten the lives of children in need. My holiday wish is to teach our children that there are many other organizations, families, or individuals that are in need of the gift of kindness and love all year long.
Peace to all of you this Holiday Season and I look forward to a great 2013!
November is the month when Americans will have the opportunity to vote on many important issues. This is an excellent time to talk with your children about the democratic process and the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States. Fort Island students will also learn about this process as they will be able to participate in a mock election here at school. Our Student Council members are assisting the teachers and preparing a voting booth and ballots. This is a very appropriate activity because they are “elected officials” too and they are leading by serving others. This is an example of Habit 2: Beginning with the End in Mind, because the children will be thinking about how their choices will be affecting their future.
November is also a time when Fort Island students salute the brave veterans that have served our country and protected us for over 200 years. Our celebration will occur on November 12, 2012 at 10:30 in the gym. If you know of any veterans that are planning to attend, please be sure to return the RSVP that was sent home earlier. Also, if you have a photo of your veteran that you can copy and share please send it in with your child and include your name. Please do not send one of a kind or heirloom originals in case they become damaged or lost. Seating is limited for this event so please be sure to let us know who will be able to attend.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the incredible students and supportive families we have in Copley-Fairlawn and I hope you have a peaceful holiday with friends and loved ones.
Sincerely,
Mr. Whitaker
The school year is off to a great start and it is so good to have the children back in school. We have a big things planned for them! One of our new initiatives is teaching them the “7 Habits of Happy Kids” which is based on Steven Covey’s book of a similar name. Using these habits we hope to teach them leadership skills that they can apply in their daily lives. Look for more information on this in the future.
Once again, I am excited to see how many of you are already using the everydaymathonline.com internet resource to practice math with your children at home. We are recognizing our math achievers on the AM announcements and the students are excited. If you need more details, or password reminders, check with your child’s teacher.
Third grade students will take the Ohio Achievement Assessment in reading on October 2nd. Students can prepare for this test by coming to school well rested and with a positive attitude. This assessment is important for us because it identifies your child’s reading strengths and weaknesses so that we can address them in the classroom. You may have heard of the new legislation this year, The Third Grade Guarantee. This law requires us to notify parents when students are not “on track” to meet grade level reading goals by the end of Third Grade and then provide additional support in reading. Fortunately, we have already been doing this and will continue to do so. This will be especially important during the 2013-2014 school year because students “not on track” are required to be retained. With your support at home, we can help ensure your child’s success! Please encourage your child to give their best effort every day at school.
We love to have visitors, but please remember to sign in the office anytime you are in the building. Safety and security are very important to us and we do not always know who everyone is. Do not be offended if we politely ask you to get a visitors badge. We also need to remind parents that students may not be dropped off before 8:45 AM because we have no supervision available and we do not want the children to get into mischief. Thank you for your assistance with this.
Enjoy a hike with your family this fall and experience the best season in Ohio. Support our high school teams by attending an athletic event. If we have a rainy day, spend time reading with your kids and get lost in a great adventure. Books can take you anywhere!
Sincerely,
